1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to an electrical connector having a connector position assurance (CPA) member.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
Electrical connectors for use with vehicle air bag gas generators are generally well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,683 discloses an electrical connector for a gas generator which includes a locking device that can move a shorting clip off of electrical connection with electrical contacts in a mating electrical connector.
There is a desire to make vehicle air bag gas generator electrical connectors very small such that they can be used in areas of limited space, such as in a seat belt, and that are lightweight for vehicle fuel economy reasons. However, in making such electrical contacts smaller, it is difficult to determine if the electrical connector is properly installed in a mating connector. In the past, tactile feel and audible sounds during connection of the two connectors could be used as an indicator for the installer that a proper connection was made. However, with smaller size electrical connectors, there is not enough tactile feel or audible sound during connection to be a dependable source of good connection indication. Thus, there is a need for a dependable system for small electrical connectors to indicate connection to a mating connector which does not depend upon an audible or tactile signal to the user.